What Is a Cryptocurrency Airdrop?

A cryptocurrency airdrop refers to the distribution of new tokens or coins by a project to a wide range of individuals in the crypto community.

The teams behind these projects often use airdrops to raise awareness of their project and encourage people to become users or investors. The airdropped assets are given away for free, but some airdrops require users to complete specific tasks before they can claim their tokens. Crypto airdrops became popular during the initial coin offering (ICO) boom of 2017, but are still used by many crypto projects today.

How Do Crypto Airdrops Work?

When a project announces an airdrop, it usually also sets specific criteria or requirements that participants must meet to be eligible. These requirements can include joining a specific Telegram group, following the project on social media, subscribing to a newsletter, or holding a minimum amount of a specific coin in a wallet. The airdrops may also only be given to wallets that have interacted with the project's platform before a set date.

However, these criteria are not always announced beforehand. Some famous airdrops have surprised the platform's active users by airdropping new tokens before revealing the airdrop criteria. There are no rules for airdrops, and each project may have its own method and plan.